Identify a topic that interests you and that you'd like to research. Your topic should be something that can be phrased in the form of a question and can invite debate on either side of that question. For the purposes of this article, let's say that the topic you have chosen to research and write about is euthanasia.
Decide on the position you're going to take on the subject matter. On the one side of the euthanasia question is the stance that humans don't have the right to play God regardless of the circumstances. On the other side is the position that individuals with incurable diseases and/or extreme pain should be entitled to a death with dignity.
Open a new document in Word and set 1-inch margins on each side. Select a 12-point font in Times New Roman, Bookman or Courier. Set your paragraphs for double spacing with a 1/2-inch indent for each new paragraph.
Create a working outline with the following subheadings in all caps: Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, Analysis, Summary, Works Cited and Bibliography. To save yourself lots of retyping later, you'll fill out all of the information you collect in this outline document, then go back and polish the formatting.
Make a backup file on a CD or flash drive. Each time you enter new content into your outline, be sure to save it to both files.
Summarize the objective and results of your research in 75 to 200 words for your abstract. Whoever reads your paper should be able to tell at a glance what it's all about, what position is advanced in support or opposition, and what the outcome was.
Explain in one to two pages of introduction the following elements: (1) why the research was conducted, (2) what methodology was employed, (3) why you chose your particular methodology, and (4) how the methodology accomplished the hypothesis set forth in your abstract.
Get feedback from individuals who aren't familiar with your project to ascertain if the abstract and introduction are easy to understand.
Delineate the tools and materials you used in order to set up your research model. This should be written clearly and concisely so that someone who wanted to conduct similar research would know exactly what it was that you did.
Report the procedures you followed in conducting your research. For example, perhaps you distributed questionnaires to a broad cross-section of the community in order to learn what its views were about the legal, spiritual and moral issues surrounding euthanasia. Another approach might have been to interview members of the clergy and families of terminally ill patients. Another method could have involved researching a substantive body of medical and scientific journals and analyze the clinical support or opposition to death-with-dignity legislation.
Explain how the data was collected for the report, such as a mail-in survey or a tape-recorded on-site interview.
Analyze the results of your research. In addition to a narrative context, you may also want to incorporate graphs, pie-charts and tables. This section of your journal paper is an objective, results-oriented approach to the subject matter and does not attempt to personally interpret any of the findings.
Discuss your reaction to the project results in the "Summary" section of the paper. For instance, if the results weren't what you were expecting to occur, this is where you can provide insights or speculations as to what happened and/or what you could have done differently.
Address what you plan to do next in studying this issue.
Familiarize yourself with MLA style.
Document the use of quotes and external resources in a separate "Works Cited" page.
Create a bibliography that identifies all print, audio and video sources used in your journal paper.
Separate each new section of your journal paper by a page break. The subheadings can either be centered or placed at the left margin. Insert page numbers in the lower right corner.
Create a title page that includes the name of the project, your name and contact information.
Create a table of contents that directs readers to specific sections of your report. If the journal paper is for a magazine or other publication, a table of contents is unnecessary.